Veterinarian Salary in Illinois

Illinois tracks the national distribution closely through most of its range, then separates sharply at the top.

The median sits at $133,580 against a national $130,100, 3% higher, and the hourly median follows the same margin: $64.22 against $62.55, also 3% higher.

The 10th percentile ($74,840), the 25th percentile ($102,630) and the 75th percentile ($168,050) are each 1% above their national counterparts — a narrow, consistent gap.

The 90th percentile breaks that pattern: at $280,380, it sits 30% above the national 90th percentile of $215,700.

A veterinarian benchmarking an offer against the national 90th percentile would be measuring against a figure well below what Illinois' own top earners report.

The middle half of Illinois veterinarians — between the 25th and 75th percentiles — earned between $102,630 and $168,050, a band $65,420 wide.

The median sits roughly in the middle of that band, not pulled toward either edge.

The same band nationally is $64,660 wide, so the middle of the Illinois distribution is shaped almost exactly like the national one.

The full range tells a different story.

From the 10th percentile ($74,840) to the 90th ($280,380), Illinois spans $205,540, against $141,780 nationally — the top of the Illinois range is 3.7 times its own floor, compared with 2.9 times nationally.

Nearly all of that extra width sits above the 75th percentile rather than below it.

OEWS does not publish what produces that shape, so this page does not attribute it to any particular kind of practice or employer.

BLS estimates that 2,330 veterinarians were employed in Illinois, 12th among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median, so the percentiles on this page summarize a mid-sized group rather than a handful of practices.

The figure is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period.

It is not a count of open positions, and it says nothing about how quickly any one employer fills a role, so read it as the size of the profession in the state and nothing more.

Practicing veterinary medicine in Illinois takes a license from the Illinois Veterinary Licensing and Disciplinary Board at the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

The route runs through the NAVLE, with the passing score set by the testing entity rather than fixed in Illinois rule, and a graduate of an unapproved program qualifies through ECFVG or PAVE.

A veterinarian already licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction can apply by endorsement.

Licenses renew against 40 hours of continuing education completed during the 24-month prerenewal period, expiring January 31 of each odd-numbered year, and Illinois has had no temporary or relief permit since 2012.

Those steps are the same wherever a job sits in the wage distribution; the full Illinois license requirements page covers each one with its citation.